Cover Story
Christmas 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;
The Agusan del Sur way
by David M. Suyao

A
employees.

4

ONE MINDANAO

s early as 8:00 a.m, people started to gather at the
Agusan del Sur Government Center in Patin-ay,
Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur to celebrate Chirstmas
with the provincial government officials and

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

As highlight of the Christmas celebration, Gov. Adolph
Edward Plaza, with Cong. Maria
Valentina Plaza of District I and
Cong. Evelyn Plaza-Mellana of
District II have joined their resources in order to conduct a
medical mission and Christmas
celebration festivity dubbed as
“Kapaskuhan sa Kapitolyo” for
anybody who wish to spend
their Christmas with the provincial government.
Tables and single sized
beds were arranged inside the
reception area of the executive
building while chairs were also
arranged outside, covered by
tents for those who will wait
for their turns to come.
After the Holy Mass, the

activities began. Gov. Adolph
Edward “Eddiebong” Plaza,
joined by his mother, former
Gov. Valentina Plaza lead the
reception in receiving the people who want to avail of the
free medical and dental checkup and the distribution of free
medicines.
The first to form the line in
order to enroll for the bloodletting are the members of the
Philippine army and the police.
They were examined by
the doctors led by the Provincial Health Officer Joel Esparagoza and were taken samples
of their blood by the medtechs
from the D.O. Plaza Memorial
Hospital and the Philippine Red

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 5

Cross, Agusan del Sur Chapter.
Outside, people also lined up
to be listed in order to avail of
the medical check-up and free
medicines.
On the second floor of the
executive building, bags of
groceries were piled, while the
Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staffs are busy dis-

6

ONE MINDANAO

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

tributing the goods. Also while
people happily come and go,
smiles and laughter filled the
atmosphere at the provincial
capitol.
Music filled the air from
the national offices who are
also celebrating their Christmas party. Children carrying balloons clinging on the
arms of their parents wearing
colourful new dresses are the
happiest creatures that people
can see while celebrating the
Kapaskuhan sa Kapitolyo.
The celebration will last
until this evening with dinner
in front of the provincial capitol with songs and dances and
other merry making activities.

Aquino urges public to refrain from using
firecrackers to prevent injuries and loss of lives
on New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day

P

resident Benigno S. Aquino III has appealed to
the public to refrain from using firecrackers to
prevent injuries and loss of lives during the New
Year celebration.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011

PCOO Sec. Coloma joins DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman and Iligan Mayor Lawrence Cruz in
announcing the turnover of PHP 242 million shelter building program with Gawad Kalinga
and PHP 11.8 million for cash for work program to provide livelihood for people affected by
typhoon Sendong.

T

he Aquino administration will begin building
homes for the flashflood victims in Iligan
City as the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) released more than P200
million for its core shelter program.
10

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

In a press briefing in Malacanang on
Tuesday, Presidential
Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Social Welfare Secretary Dinky
Soliman, Health Secretary Enrique Ona and
Presidential Communication Operations Office Secretary Herminio
“Sonny” Coloma are in
Iligan City to oversee
the reconstruction and
relief efforts there.
“Secretary
Soliman handed a cheque
in the amount of
P241,130,000 to Mayor
Lawrence Cruz of Iligan
City for their core shelter program and they
have already identified
a 10-hectare relocation
site in Iligan City,” Lacierda said.
“This money will
go to the construction

of the core shelter—by
core shelter we mean
four walls, one toilet,
and one room.”
Lacierda said the
project is expected to
help 3,459 families in
the city adding that
Soliman and Cruz are
expecting to build the
project by the end of
January to decongest
the evacuations centers.
Ona and Coloma
are in Iligan City to
monitor the government’s response for the
rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in
the city, Lacierda said.
At the same time, Ona
will assess possible illnesses that may arise
as a result of the flooding.
Lacierda also made

an assurance that there
are enough doctors as
well as medicines for
the affected residents.
The government is
also assessing the situation in other disaster
areas to know the appropriate amount of
money that could be
released, Lacierda said.
Soliman will be visiting
Cagayan de Oro Tuesday afternoon to determine the necessary
allocation needed by
the city, he added.
With regards to
the reported flooding
in other areas in Mindanao like Bukidnon,
Lacierda said the government agencies concerned with disaster
response were already
mobilized to assist the
affected communities.
(AS)

elebrating the holidays this year will neverbe the
same again for the hundreds of families who were
recently victims of massive flooding in Mindanao.

And there’s no better way to celebrate this
season by sharing our
blessings.
In line with this, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez appealed to
12

ONE MINDANAO

the public to skip the use
pricey fireworks shows
this coming Christmas
and New Year.
In a release by the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

(CBCP), Bishop Iñiguez
said the funds intended
for firework shows can
be donated instead to
help the flood victims,
especially in Cagayan de
Oro and Iligan City.

“I appeal to the
sense of compassion of
those planning to put upfirework shows to drop
your plans and contribute the unspent funds to
help the Sendong flood
victims,” said Bishop
Iñiguez.
The prelate added
that the merciful gesture
is beneficial for the people and the environment,
and will surely get heavenly rewards.
During the 76th anniversary celebration of
the Armed of the Philippines on Wednesday,
December 21, the AFP
canceled the use of fireworks as part of their celebration. This resulted to
some P3 million savings
which will be used for relief operations in affected
areas in Mindanao.
President Benigno
S. Aquino III lauded and
thanked the Armed Forces for this gesture.
Earlier, CBPC’s National Secretariat of Social Action, Justice and
Peace also appealed to
its network members to
immediately respond to

the emergency needs of
the typhoon victims.
NASSA chair and
Manila Auxiliary Bishop
Broderick Pabillo, in a
statement urged fellow
bishops, social action directors, and the faithful
to mobilize community
support for Sendong victims.
“We urgently solicit
your support and contributions so we can help
save lives and respond
to the emergency needs
of the calamity victims in
eastern province of Agusan del Sur and northern
Mindanao and in other
dioceses as well,” said
Bishop Pabillo.
For those who
would like to donate may
send their check payable
to CBCP Caritas Filipinas
Foundation, Inc., and
deposit to Bank of the
Philippine Island (BPI),
Account Number: 49510071-08.
The CBCP added
that donations may also
be sent directly to the
Diocesan Social Action
Centers of Cagayan de
Oro and Iligan City.

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Hotel workers of one of the local
hotels here get bomb awareness training/seminar after
the hotel owner himself personally requested the conduct
of the same to “arm” his hotel employees on the proper
“attitude” in case of a suspicious looking items or persons
in the hotel.
Want to publish your photo,
news and feature release
just email
http://www.facebook.com/pages/PIAWesMin-Info-Blitz/204864762911310

14

ONE MINDANAO

ro9_pia@yahoo.com

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

piazampen.blogspot.com

“I requested our
police to conduct this
training so as to avoid
being victim of terroristic act like bombing,”
hotel owner Ritchie
Laviña said referring
to the recent bombing
at the Atilano Pension
house that killed three
people and wounded
27 others.
City Police Bomb

Squad led by Sr. Insp.
Memoracion conducted
the whole day bomb
awareness seminar.
The hotel workers during the training/
seminar were oriented
on how to react in case
they see or spot a suspicious baggage or item
in the hotel vicinity.
Tips on how to detect explosives were

also taught to the workers and security personnel of the said hotel.
The bomb squad
also
discussed
to
the participants how
bombers disguise the
bombs for the latter
to be available to be
able to sneak in the
bombs in target places.(JPA/PIA-ZamBaSulTa)

PAGIBIG mandates GSIS and SSS members
to contribute by Michael Vincent D. Cajulao
ZAMBOANGA CITY – PAGIBIG
Fund will implement a mandatory
membership of Government Service
Insurance System (GSIS) and Social
Security System (SSS) members
starting January 1, 2012, PAGIBIG
Zamboanga City Chief Amorpatri
Bajarla said.
Bajarla said there
are still about 20,000
GSIS and SSS members
region-wide who are not
yet members of PAGIBIG.
Bajarla said the
mandatory membership
is part of the enforce

ment of laws that employers should comply
with. Those who fail to
comply with the law will
be penalized.
“To all erring employers, we already gave
you two years. Effective
January 2012, we will be

enforcing the Pag-ibig
mandatory law”, Bajarla
warned them.
He stressed that
failure to comply will result into imprisonment
and payment of fines.
(JPA/MVC/PIA9-ZBST)

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 15

50 students undergo 4-day cinematography
workshop

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Around fifty
students from the different colleges
and universities here underwent
a 4-day seminar-workshop on
cinematography organized by
the city government and the
Film Development Council of the
Philippines last December 1316, as part of the city’s Christmas
celebration.
The
workshop
aims to arm, develop,
and enhance students’
basic skills and knowledge on film-making.
FDCP people led
by Briccio Santos, together with Nap Jamir came to the city to
impart their expertise
to help students start
with their passion.
FDC and the city
government have been
undertaking projects
16

ONE MINDANAO

since last year to help
promote Filipino-made
movies and develop future local film-makers.
Last year, FDC and
the city government
launched the first-ever
film festival in the city
dubbed “Sineng Pambansa”, which exhibited world-acclaimed
Filipino movies, both
mainstream and independently produced,
from 1950’s to pres-

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ent.
With this partnership, the city government is now planning
to build theatre that
will show original Filipino movies, free for
the public.
City Mayor Celso
Lobregat, again, expressed his support to
the project, even providing for the site of
(JPA/
the project.
MVC/PIA9-ZBST)

ead
Delegate
Selva
Sinnadurai of
the International
Federation of
the Red Cross
(IFRC) joined
the Philippine
Red Cross (PRC)
team headed by
National Chairman
Richard Gordon in a site visit to barangays spawned by tropical storm
Sendong.
They personally distributed nonfood items to affected families at Sta
Filomena evacuation center, this city,
with the Red Cross team bringing
packed items containing basin,
bucket with lid, emergency household
items like kitchen wares, tarpaulin,
jerrycans, mosquito nets, towel with
soap, mat and blanket.

All the four-truck loads delivered
containing non-food items came from
International Committee on Red
Cross (ICRC), Davao City, and were
packed by the youth volunteers for
distribution.
Bags of rice were also delivered
earlier, said Genievive C. Amodia,
administrator, Philippine Red Cross,
Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 17

city’s Vice Mayor Henry C. Dy
as the local board of director
chair, for Iligan.
Chairman Gordon, in his
message, urged the local
board to focus in organizing
volunteers in every school,
make the Red Cross felt,
especially to the youth, the
spirit of volunteerism.
“This is a lesson to everybody,
that in any eventuality,
we must be ready, we will
Iligan City Chapter.
influence the society/community to
Amodia said Chairman Gordon
get involved,” said Gordon.
met with the board of directors, Iligan
City Chapter, with no less than the

Donations, volunteers up to help ‘Sendong’
victims
by Charmaine P. Tadlas

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - Help from
all over the country and abroad
keep coming in for families affected
by tropical storm Sendong that hit
Northern Mindanao last December
17, 2011. As of December 23, 2011,
donations in food and non-food,
which have been accounted with the
Department of Social Welfare and
Development, have reached worth
P3,367,750.00
These donations from nongovernment organizations, private
institutions, faith-based organizations,
schools and concerned citizens, which
compose of food, water, toiletries,
beddings, tents, water containers,
medicines, infant formulas, and
18

ONE MINDANAO

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

have been delivered to families in and
out of evacuation centers installed
throughout the region.
Moreover, volunteers are lining
up at the regional office of the
Department of Social Welfare and
Development Field Office X to register
themselves and help out in packing
goods to be delivered to the victims.
The volunteers can also be seen
helping out in distributing the goods

to the victims in evacuation centers
and profiling the families in evacuation
centers.
As of December 23, 2011, more
than 276 volunteers have already
registered with the DSWD and were
assigned in all the evacuation centers.
The DSWD, however, is still looking
for more volunteers since numerous
works are still being done by the
Department. (DSWD)

NFA assures sufficient supply of rice
by Ruby Leonora R. Balistoy

MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon - The National Food Authority here
allayed fears that there is shortage of rice mainly due to the effects of
tropical storm “Sendong” that hit some parts of Bukidnon, assuring the
public that there is enough supply of rice in the province.
Victoria Duray, NFA Provincial
Manager, in an interview said there is
no room for rice shortage because as
of today, more than 190,000 bags of
rice are available in NFA warehouses.
“There are also commercial and
household stocks of about 195,000
bags,” she said.
Based on the data released by
the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics
(BAS), Bukidnon has a monthly rice
consumption of more than 90,000
bags.
“That volume of NFA rice reserve
therefore is more than enough to meet
the need of the province in a month,”
Duray said.
On the other hand, NFA Assistant
Provincial Manager Gil Tabor said
the province has now 150 Bigasan
sa Barangay Outlet (BBO) and more

than 40 Institutionalized Bigasan sa
Palengke (IBP) outlets.
“The NFA well milled rice is sold
at P28.00, while the regular milled
rice at P27.00 in BBO and IBP outlets.
These accredited NFA rice outlets are
spread all over the province,” Tabor
said.
He further said that the
Department of Social Welfare and
Development decides where to
establish said NFA rice outlets since it
is directed to address needs in areas
with high poverty rates.
At present, market retail price of
premium well-milled rice is P36.00 a
kilo while the cheapest varieties range
from P30.00 to P32.00 per kilogram,
according to the data from the Bureau
of Agricultural Statistics.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 19

Cancer Center in Mindanao to open soon
by Carina Cayon

T

he Tagum City-based Davao
Regional Hospital will soon
start operations of its Cancer Center in Mindanao that would provide state-of-the–art treatment
facilities.
DRH administrator Carlito Pillerin said that the first of a kind cancer center in the country will be inaugurated on January 08, 2012.
From the initial budget of P200
million provided by the national government, P37 million was spent for
the construction of the building which
stands at a two-hectare area within
DRH compound.
Pillerin told the media here dur-

20

ONE MINDANAO

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ing Monday’s Kapihan sa Dabaw that
the lot was donated by the University
of Southeastern Philippines (USEP)
through the help of Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy.
He said that DRH was also able
to acquire from the remaining of the
funding a modern linear accelerator
worth P134-million that will be used
for the nuclear treatment of a cancer
patient.
During the center’s inauguration
this January, Pillerin said that DRH
has chosen a colon cancer patient to
be the first to undergo treatment at
the center to be provided for free.
He stated that the treatment is
valued at P250,000 for the 33-day
session period.
Pillerin raised the hospital management’s plan of studying the costing of the cancer therapy per patient.
He said they are also looking
at the possibility of negotiating with
the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to shoulder the
treatment cost.
“We are studying if pwede na ba

ang PhilHealth ang magbayad ng lahat ng fee,” Pillerin said referring to
the 33-session therapy.
“Anyone who needs our services
is welcome at the cancer center,” he
stated.
The DRH official said that the
center was conceptualized in 2000,
and was approved in 2006.

Pillerin also disclosed the upgrading endeavors of DRH into a 500bed tertiary hospital, hoping that the
proposal would be approved by the
Congress in 2012.
DRH is among the 66 Department of
Health-retained hospitals in the country.

Floods occur due to recent LPA in
Northeastern Mindanao
by Jean Duron Abangan
TAGUM CITY DAVAO DEL
NORTE--- Floods struck this morning in some areas in Davao del
Norte, Compostela Valley and
Davao Oriental due to intermittent
rains brought about by the tailend of the cold front that passed
yesterday through Davao provinces.
Monitored flooded were parts of
Asuncion and Kapalong in Davao del
Norte, parts of Montevista in Compostela Valley; and portions of Mati
City.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD)
XI reported that Saug River traversing areas in the municipalities of Kapalong, Asuncion and New Corella
swelled this morning affecting 23
families in barangay Maniki and 25 in
Pag-asa, both in Kapalong, Davao del
Norte. They were then immediately
evacuated at Maniki Central Elemen-

tary School.
It also received reports that the
provincial road connecting Asuncion
town and Tagum City particularly at
Barangay Sagayen section, became
impassable for light vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Information Office of Compostela Valley relayed initial reports revealing
some residents of Barangay Banagbanag, Montevista were rescued by
the PDRMMC disaster team with the
cooperation of barangay officials, as
floodwaters reportedly reached at
roof-level.
The PDRRMC of Compostela Valley has yet to forward its official report to the OCD XI office as of presstime.
On the other hand, acting provincial information officer Ferdinand
Zuasola of Davao Oriental also relayed reports that 200 families in
Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 21

Barangay Matiao of Mati were evacuated last night to higher grounds.
Riverside areas in Sitio Sudlon, Barangay Central, Mati City were also
flooded but PDRMMC Davao Oriental was yet to receive reports on the
number of affected families.
Emerging from the emergency meeting with Provincial Governor
Corazon Malanyaon of Davao Orien-

tal, Zuasola got from PDRMMC that
several fishpens in Barangay Ilangay, Lupon town were damaged by
strong winds.
Zuasola also revealed that Gov.
Malanyaon was on tour this afternoon
to affected areas to further verify the
extent of damage, and to assess the
impact of the recent LPA occurrence
to Davao Oriental areas .

regional gallery

A farmer-recipient of the Cow Dispersal Program feeds one of the
cows acquired by the Barangay Busaon from the Local Government
of Tagum.

22

ONE MINDANAO

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ARMM Gov orders formation of task force to
address illegal logging in Lanao del Sur
COTABATO CITY -- Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman has ordered the immediate formation of an intensified Task Force Ranao and called on the help of
civil society organizations (CSOs), Saturday, to tackle the problem
on illegal logging in Lanao del Sur.
The newly appointed mediately buckled down the reign of the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
officer-in-charge gov- to work two days after leadership.
ernor of the ARMM im- officially taking over
Hataman
was
in
Marawi City, Saturday,
to hold a meeting with
Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong,
Jr., Col. Daniel Lucero,
Brigade Commander of
the Philippine Armyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
103rdInfantry Brigade,
and some officials of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-ARMM
primarily to discuss the
case of rampant illegal
logging in the province,
which is believed to have
contributed to the
Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 23

massive flash flood
that hit Illigan City when
typhoon Sendong struck
the country.
The involvement of
CSOs is intended to
strengthen Task Force
Ranao and allow it to enhance its involvement in
tackling other illegal activities in the province,
Hataman said.
It is hoped that the
intensified task force
will help end illegal logging in the area.
Moreover, the OICARMM governor ordered
the region’s environment agency to come
out with a transparent
and complete report on
the historical operations
of logging in the province.
He said individuals
that will be found to be
behind illegal logging
operations in the province should be punished
and held accountable
regardless of their background and affiliation.
The report would also
allow the region to assess the extent of its responsibility on the scale
of the flood that hit Iligan, he said.
He also directed the
agency to issue a moratorium on logging pend24

ONE MINDANAO

ing a thorough inventory
of areas with trees classified as ‘planted species’, which have been
exempted from the total
log ban imposed by the
ARMM government and
can be cut down.
Hataman said the
exemption provides a
loophole for illegal logging that is made worse
by lax law enforcement.
The issue on illegal
logging in the
province was
brought to
national attention when
thousands
of logs, believed to be
illegally cut,
were washed
out from Kapai River and
ended in the
flooded villages of Iligan City. The
river traces its upstream
in towns in Lanao del Sur
that have been center of
illegal and “carabao logging” for years.
The newly installed
ARMM leadership has
vowed to put an end to
this.
In a security briefing,
Lucero said law enforcement has been especially difficult in Lanao del

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Sur mainly due to the
prevailing local culture in
the province such as the
case of rido (clan feud)
and the often involvement of other powerful
individuals.
He said law enforcers
are reluctant to implement the rule of law for
fear of instigating a rido
between their family and
that of the erring individ-

ual.
Lucero lauded the “no
holds barred” directive
issued by Hataman and
said his brigade is glad to
have the full backing of
the ARMM government
in its campaign against
illegal logging and other forms of criminalities
in the province.(BPIARMM/DED/PIA 12)

Response for Sendong victims
overwhelmingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;OCD-12
by CT Apelacio
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Response for the hard-hit victims of
Tropical storm Sendong in Northern Mindanao was overwhelming,
according to the Office of Civil Defense Regional Center (OCD) 12.
In the OCDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report,
it cited the assistance
of the provincial government of Saranggani
which donated more
than
P500,000.00
worth of 469 sacks of
rice, 53 boxes of bottled water, 150 gallons of drinking water,
232 boxes of canned
goods, 134 boxes of
noodles, 207 boxes of
infant milk, 861 sacks
and 142 boxes of used
clothing, 4 boxes of as-

sorted grocery items,
400 plastic mats, one
box and two packs of
kitchen utensils, two
sacks of bags, one sack
and three packs of assorted footwear and 15
funeral caskets.
Along with the relief
items was the P3,266.00
worth of financial assistance coming from
individuals who opted
to donate in cash.
The relief items were
delivered just before

Christmas day in three
10-wheeler
trucks
headed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO)
team.
The province has also
deployed a team of responders and volunteer nurses to northern
Mindanao
specifically
in Cagayan de Oro City
and Iligan City to conduct medical outreach
activities.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 25

In its desire to help
the victims, the provincial government has
temporarily turned its
provincial gymnasium
to operations center
for the collection, processing and dispatch of
relief goods.
The provincial government of South Cotabato also gave its share
by approving the release of P1.5 million for
relief and other forms of
assistance including the
450 bags of rice and 20
funeral caskets.
It also deployed its
PDRRMO response team
to help the victims in
the area.
The OCDRC XII said
the city government of
Cotabato also donated
10,000 bottles of water and assorted relief
goods which were distributed by its own response team.
Meanwhile, the city
government of General Santos shelled out
P500,000.00 cash assistance to each of the city
government of Iligan
and Cagayan de Oro.
Aside from cash, the
city government also
turned over some relief
items which were delivered Friday, Dec. 23, according to the City Pub26

ONE MINDANAO

lic Information Office.
The relief items were
gathered through the
collective efforts and
assistance of different
sectors and organizations here in the city, it
said.
Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio
has

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

also tasked its City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO)
to send a team to assist
in stress debriefing of
the victims.
In the report, OCD12 also acknowledged
the assistance of the
Department of Social

in the stress debriefing of victims in Iligan
City.
The Department of
Health (DOH) XII has
also ensured that 21
cadaver bags will be
sent to DOH Region
X.
It said that it will
send its own Mental
Health Psycho Social
Service Team this week
to also assist in stress
debriefing along with

DSWD personnel and
local counterparts.
Earlier, the Deparment of the Interior
and Local Government
(DILG) XII has issued
a memorandum enjoining the local chief
executives (LCEs) in
Region XII to provide
assistance to affected
families in Cagayan de
Oro and Iligan City.

Irrigators agree to co-manage irrigation
facilities
by Evelyn Bragasin & Dani Doguiles
KORONADAL CITY -- Irrigators in North Cotabato recently had an
agreement with the the National Irrigation Administration -12 (NIA12) for the operation and management of facilities of Libungan River Irrigation System in their area.
Just recently, Saltum
Irrigator’s
Association
Inc. (SALTUMIA Inc.)
and LIBRIS Division 5
CHRISLAM Irrigators Association, Inc. signed a
contract with NIA-12 Libungan River Irrigation
System in line with the
Irrigation Management
Transfer (IMT) program.
Under the IMT contract, both irrigators’

associations agreed to
operate and manage
the irrigation facilities,
including the lateral canals in covered by the
association.
They shall also take
other duties, including
water distribution and delivery and bills preparation
and collection of irrigation
service fee.
The contract was signed

by Jerry Labrador as president the irrigator’s group
SALTUMIA Inc., and Danilo Tacan president of the
LIBRIS Division 5 CHRISLAM IA and Engr. C’zar M.
Sulaik, division manager
of Cotabato Provincial Irrigation Office for NIA.
Engr. Edna C. Bantala, irrigation superintendent of Libungan River
I r r i g a t i o n Sy s t e m ,

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 27

said
the
contract
signing is another milestone in the history of
the office.
The government is
now putting more emphasis on the role of irrigators
associations,
making them the centerpiece of development
initiatives.
Bantala encouraged
other irrigator groups
who have not decided
to enter into contract to
make the move so that
they could also avail of
the services and benefits being enjoyed by
the IAs which have already existing IMT contracts with the NIA.
On the part of the
irrigators,
Labrador
thanked the NIA administration for the effort
the agency has been extending to the IAs particularly in irrigation-related activities.
He also enjoined his
co-IA officers to continue supporting the programs of the NIA especially the IMT program
for the benefit of the
farmer-irrigation users.
NIA Region 12 Regional Manager Modesto
Anderson M. Tolentino,
Jr. said the IMT program
is aimed at empowering
irrigatorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; associations
by allowing them to accept the responsibility
28

ONE MINDANAO

of managing the irrigation facilities covered by
their association.
Through this program, the IAs would feel
a sense of ownership
so they will take good
care of the facilities and
to strive to attain their
goals as embodied in
their contracts, Tolentino said.
He also advised the
IA officers present to
be transparent to the
members and to lay out
to their members all
transactions and activities they should decide
on.
He added, IAs are
now being recognized
by the Department of
Agriculture thus they
should not betray the
trust given by the agency to them.
He also encouraged
the current IA officers to
be lookout for potential
leaders and train them
so they will also have
the chance to hold the
reins of their IAs.
Earlier
this
year,
LIBRIS Division 6 IA
and Settlers IA of Midsayap (SIAM) entered
into contract under the
IMT Model 2.
With the contract,
SALTUMIA
Inc.
is
bound to operate and
manage facilities in
139.30 hectares cov-

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ering Barangays Salunayan and Tumbras in
Midsayap town in North
Cotabato. It involves
96
farmer-irrigators,
of whom 73 are members of SALTUMIA.
On the other hand,
LIBRIS Div 5 need to
manage 817.075 hectares
in
Barangays
Central
Katingawan,
Lagumbingan,
San
Isidro,
Patindeguen
and parts of Bagumba,
all in Midsayap. The
area serves at least
796 farmers, 766 of
which are members of
the irrigatorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; association.
Libungan River Irrigation System which
has an Ogee-type dam
in Barangay Barongis,
Libungan Cotabato has
a potential coverage
area of 12,000 hectares.
At present, it serves
a firmed up area of
5,983.20 hectares in
Midsayap,
1,453.34
hectares in Libungan,
1,098.05 hectares in
Pigcawayan in North
Cotabato and 721.35
hectares in Northern
Kabuntalan in Maguindanao province.
It was opened on
September 15, 1962
by President Carlos
P. Garcia. (NIA-12/
PIA-12)

14 brgys. evacuated due to LPA in
Caraga Region

A

by Robert E. Roperos

total of 14
barangays
with 447
families
or 1,896 persons were
evacuated to different
evacuation centers in
Caraga Region due to
Low Pressure Area (LPA)
which caused flooding in
some parts of the region.

also evacuated to Bayugan
East Central Elem. School.
Moreover, five barangays
in the municipality of San
Francisco were temporarily
transferred to San Francisco
Municipal Gym and in Mormons Church, composed of
104 families or an equivalent to 334 persons.
The Regional DRRMC
Operation Center continuously
maintained
24/7
monitoring, disseminated
NDRRMC advisories to the
RDRRMC member-agencies,
and coordinated with the local DRRMCs for situational
update, the NDRRMC reported.
Further, the provinces
of Surigao del Norte and
Dinagat Islands had issued
Alert Level 2 upon recommendation of PAGASA Surigao.
MDRRMCs were activated to undertake precautionary measures and were

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

alert for possible pre-emptive evacuation.
Furthermore, the Active Local Emergency Response Team (ALERT) of
Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Island Search and Rescue Team (DISART) are on
stand-by to closely monitor
the situation on their respective AORs.
In a related development, Provincial DRRMC of
Agusan del Norte and City
DRRMC of Butuan continuously monitoring the water
level of Agusan River with
response teams and rescue
equipment ready for mobilization when necessary.
The Quick Response
Team (QART) of Surigao
City was already deployed
to flood-prone areas in the
city especially in Brgy. San
Juan for actual survey of
the situation.
DPWH Caraga, on
the other hand, conducted
monitoring of the conditions
of major roads and bridges
while Disaster Preparedness
Teams and Equipment are
on-stand by ready for deployment.
Based on the Public
Weather Forecast of PAGASA, at 2:00 a.m. today,
LPA was estimated based on
satellite and surface data at
120 km Southwest of Cotabato City (6.3oN, 123.3oE),
while tail-end of a cold front
is affecting the Visayas Region.

SURIGAO CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Around 280 families involving 1,244 persons
fled homes yesterday in Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands
amid rising floodwaters due to torrential rainfall brought about
by a low pressure area in Mindanao.
The Surigao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC)
said a 1 year and 7 month-old
child identified as Roan Libres
from Brgy. San Roque was reportedly missing since yesterday afternoon. It was reported
that the child was accidentally
swept by ravaging floodwaters. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quick action
response team is still conducting a search and retrieval op-

eration.
Still in Surigao City,
CDRRMC reported that some
167 families or 676 persons
were evacuated at various
evacuation centers in the city.
In Brgy. Taganito, Claver,
three families or 18 individuals
were moved safely to a safe
evacuation center, the Brgy.
Taganito gymnasium. In Brgy.
Mabuhay, Sison, 43 families
or 215 persons were evacu-

ated at Mabuhay Elementary
School. In Brgy. Cauilan, Tubod, 12 families consisting of
60 individuals were brought
to their Brgy. Multi-Purpose
Hall while 35 families or 175
families from Brgy. Magsaysay, Placer were evacuated at
their municipal dome, according to a report from Surigao
del Norte PDRRMC.
Engr. Arnel Amalia,
Municipal Planning and

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ONE MINDANAO 31

Development Coordinator of
Malimono, informed PIA yesterday that the detour road
near the unfinished steel
bridge on Jubgan River in San
Francisco town became impassable due to waist-deep
floodwaters leaving several
commuters stranded.
In Dinagat Islands, only

one barangay in Libjo town
was severely affected with 20
families or 100 persons from
Brgy. San Antonio evacuated at San Antonio, Libjo
PBMA chapter building, said
a report from Dinagat Islands
PDRRMC.
Dinagat Islands Public
Information Officer Rosario

Roxas, Jra. also said that a
landslide occurred around 2
p.m. yesterday in Barangay
Pantinople in Basilisa town
along the national highway.
Personnel from DPWH Dinagat Islands sub-district immediately conducted a clearing
operation in the area.

Butuan City issues flood advisory
by Nora CL Molde

BUTUAN CITY – Level of water at the Agusan river was
recorded at 2.40 meters as of one o’clock this afternoon.
Due to the continuous rising of water level in
the Agusan River basin, the
City Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council
(CDRRMC) has issued a flood
advisory through acting mayor, Vice Mayor Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun to the public.
The rise of the water
level in the river came from
the flooded areas of Agusan
del Sur which flows out to Butuan Bay due to the low pres32

ONE MINDANAO

sure area (LPA) that is being
experienced in the region.
As per information from
the city mayor’s office public
information officer Jennifer
Michele N. Divinagracia, alert
level 1 is currently in effect in
the city and now preparing for
a possible flooding.
Also, the local DRRMC
has advised all residents in
low-lying and riverside barangays to prepare for possible
evacuation.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The CDRRMC will continue to monitor the rising
water level & prepare evacuation centers and emergency
supplies like food, water and
medical supplies.
For emergencies, the
public may call Ms. Grace Espere, CDRRC focal person at
mobile number 094852278634
(Smart) of 09358943569
(Globe) of call telephone numbers (085) 3423074, (085)
3414160, or (085)3 455940.